South Austin voters’ voices were loud and clear on Election Night. Even though the South Austin Republican Club doesn’t align with the results, we want to thank all the candidates that ran, their campaign staff, volunteers, and warriors that worked tirelessly to get out the vote for who we supported.
These next months and years will be critical to saving Austin from the progressive left and making progress for our principles in Travis County. This is going to require everyone to provide effort and resources to dominate the field and turn out everyone we can for the candidates and causes we support.
The hardest challenges will yield the most satisfying victories in times of great adversity. George Washington faced seemingly insurmountable odds when crossing the Delaware River in the dead of winter in 1776. But, with perseverance, focus, and unwavering determination to protect and maintain the principles he found important, we prevailed in one of the most significant ways in American history.
We too have this same chance in Travis County in 2024. The odds may seem stacked against just. The data may not add up. But if we fold now we do a disservice to everything we believe.
Therefore, we can’t back down. We must cross our Delaware River. We must protect what we hold to be true and important.
The fight is not over. We can and will do more in 2024. And, most importantly – We Can Win Austin!
“This morning, Austin Energy had around 3 dozen homes without power, but around by 5:25 a.m. that number jumped to 7,772.” FOX7 “People were seen fighting over food in the dumpster at an H-E-B store in South Austin on William Cannon and I-35 yesterday.” FOX7 “A residential development containing 375 units and rising up to seven floors at the…
Image: FOX7 As Texas deaths caused by opioid use have risen, Austin has installed its first Narcan vending machine. This machine was deployed by the N.I.C.E. Project (More Narcan In Case of Emergency) in conjunction with Sunrise Homeless Navigation. What is Narcan? It is a nasal spray drug that prevents death from overdosing on opioids…
Dallas Emerson, Communications Director & Data Analyst
dallas@southaustinrc.org
Primaries are often ugly—and Republicans’ primaries have been uglier than usual lately.
When politicians disagree on policy or ideas, primaries can be enlightening, allowing voters to partake in choosing the direction of the party, and the evolution of our shared ideology.
When politicians share essentially the same ideas, the debate comes down to one of character; which means that everyone should grab their ponchos, because the mud will be slung.
The Texas Attorney General’s Republican Primary is an example of this phenomenon. Heading into the runoff, Ken Paxton, the incumbent, and George P. Bush, Texas’ Land Commissioner, must be thoroughly examined.
Both are dedicated followers of President Trump’s MAGA movement, with Paxton holding Trump’s endorsement, but Bush is a close ally of the former President as well.
Both men are conservative. Ken Paxton has been a staunch defender of Texas’ rights as a state and fought to ensure that the Federal Government abides by its own laws. George P Bush has worked within his power as Land Commissioner to secure the Southern border during unprecedented waves of immigration in Texas.
Neither could be described as “moderate” or as a “RINO.”
So, we at South Austin Republicans Club have interrogated the character of these two men.
And as a result, we believe Ken Paxton to be compromised in his role as Attorney General, beset by scandal, and in his seventh year of indictment for securities fraud.
The bedrock of our legal system is the presumption of innocence. In no way are we commenting on his innocence or guilt; that is to be determined by a jury of Paxton’s peers.
But the role of Attorney General relies in large part on moral authority, not just a bright legal mind. And after seven years of investigation, Paxton is a tarnished man.
He has faced widespread staff resignation, has chosen to recuse himself from some of his duties as Attorney General, and faces scrutiny regarding ethical violations for the funding of his legal defense fund.
Within weeks of joining the Texas State Senate, his wife, Senator Angela Paxton, filed legislation that would allow the Attorney General to issue exemptions for the very actions he was under investigation for allegedly committing.
Rather than pushing for his day in court, Paxton has sought every delay, every legal tactic to avoid a verdict being reached.
Texas’ credibility is weakened by this spectacle.
He has operated under this cloud for too long, and with his court date approaching, he will, by necessity be focused on his defense, not on the legal needs of the state. Texas needs an Attorney General that can be 100% dedicated to the job at hand.
This brings us to the other man in the race, Land Commissioner George P. Bush.
Son of former Florida Governor, Jeb Bush, George P Bush carries a name and legacy that evokes mixed emotions. While it is unfair to judge a man by his father’s, uncle’s, or grandfather’s actions, it cannot be denied that the Bush family is a dynasty in American politics.
The concept of one family wielding so much power is rightfully unsettling to most Americans. Many Republicans are reflexively distrusting of Kennedys for this reason, and after decades of dominance by the Bush family, the GOP is wary and weary of further Bushes.
Bush is not without controversy of his own; primarily the bizarre, emotionally charged, debate over the Alamo, which Bush was charged with renovating. During this time, it was alleged that Bush wanted to erect a statue of Mexican Dictator Santa Anna—a claim made without any evidence. Bush responded that these rumors were due to his ethnicity, as his mother is a naturalized citizen from Mexico. We do know that Bush wanted the Cenotaph—an absolutely staggering monument to the brave defenders of the Alamo—moved off the Alamo grounds. This plan was defeated.
However, the strongest critics of Bush voice few concerns other than the arcane Alamo fight and his family name.
Frankly, these criticisms have little bearing on his ability to execute the duties of the Office of Attorney General.
George P. Bush, as was previously stated, is a conservative Republican. He has campaigned on further securing the border and cracking down on crime—which he notes has risen under Paxton’s watch.
It is never enjoyable to take sides in an intraparty fight. SARC usually avoids endorsing before primaries as this unnecessarily divides the party, leaving us weaker. And in a city like Austin, we cannot have that weakness.
But sometimes, a line has to be drawn.
In this case, the Executive Committee of the South Austin Republicans Club felt that AG Paxton’s scandal has outweighed his ability to faithfully execute his duties. If he were the employee of a small business, under investigation for fraud, accused of violating ethics, unable to perform all his duties because of these investigations, and his work being judged as suspect because of the scandal he refused to put to rest—he’d be fired. And in this case, SARC agrees; he should be fired.
For these reasons, we the Executive Committee have chosen to endorse George P. Bush for Attorney General of Texas.
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Press Release: South Austin Republican Club Announces Endorsement for Texas Attorney General
“Roughly a dozen families living at a mobile home park in South Austin who received 60-day notices to leave will be able to stay for the time being after a Travis County judge issued a temporary restraining order Monday.” KUT 5 Fun Things in South Austin – DO512 “A 25-year-old man has been arrested for…
Austin City Council voted to increase their pay by 40% last week by an overwhelming margin. Out of the eleven members, only three opposed this egregious hike in pay; Paige Ellis (D8), Vanessa Fuentes (D2), and the redoubtable Mackenzie Kelly (D6).
Dallas Emerson, Communications Director & Data Analyst
dallas@southaustinrc.org
Keep Voting
Former President Donald Trump released the following statement yesterday, October 13th, 2021:
This message has been received as a threat to the Republican Party; somehow to address the alleged fraud of the 2020 election.
There are those who argue this message is not a threat but, an analysis: Republican voters will stay home because they feel their votes will not count.
While South Austin Republicans Club takes voter fraud very seriously, we cannot encourage people to not vote. The idea that Republican voters should stay home is destructive, and the same attitude that handed two Georgia Senate seats to Democrats in January. When Republicans stay home, Democrats win.
As our club has noted before, there is no evidence of election-altering fraud in Austin. If the powers that be could suppress the vote, we would have never passed Proposition B (citywide homeless camping ban) or gotten a conservative councilwoman elected (Councilwoman Mackenzie Kelly).
As we look to vote for Prop A this year, and electing new councilmembers next year, we cannot allow the questions we have about the 2020 election prevent us from making our voices heard.
Despite how badly we wanted to see Donald Trump reelected, we must honestly and factually take up the many challenges that Republicans face. So that we ensure conservative leaders are elected and conservative policies implemented.
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“There are those who argue this message is not a threat but, an analysis: Republican voters will stay home because they feel their votes will not count.”
In 2020, the city council removed $150 million from the Austin Police budget. While this author has given special attention in the past to the obscenity of losing our sex crimes unit, there is another element that was eliminated causing all too tragic consequences.
Today, we will specifically look at mass shootings, trying to understand what exactly they are. By striving to understand the horrors that rock our headlines all too often, we may gain insight into how to prevent them.
Congratulations to Austin’s new Chief of Police, Chief Joseph Chacon. He has been Austin’s Interim Chief during difficult times of rising crime and a police staffing crisis.
We do wish that the City Manager had considered a potential Chief from outside the department, aligning with the wishes of the police officers.
But, we hope the council will show its full support, not just for the new Chief, but for all officers going forward. We wish Chief Chacon the best of luck, and ask all Austinites to pray for him as our city faces unprecedented challenging times.
In the wake of mass shootings, Americans are regularly told that these atrocities do not happen in other developed countries. This, we are to believe, is the damnable result of the Second Amendment to the Constitution.
Austin has decided to launch an experiment with Universal Basic Income (UBI) in partnership with the nonprofit UpTogether. The program, when implemented, will send $1000 per month to 85 low-income individuals in the city.
Welcome! 